From Kuya Junior’s house in Fair Oaks, we went to an antique mall which we saw earlier. It’s only around 10 minutes away from Kuya’s house. To those living in the Sacramento area, even those who are a bit farther away like those coming from Vallejo, Fairfield, Vacaville and Davis, I highly encourage you to visit the Midway Antiques, even just for a day’s fun. The front part of the building showcases furniture, furnishings and electrical appliances that came out in the 50s, 60s, 70s. The minute we walked in, we felt like we walked into a tv set during the time of Grace Kelly.
Our first black and white television set looked like this. We were one of the firsts that had a tv in Binangonan. Neighbors climbed our windows and roof to watch. Many times my mom would yell “hoy… baka bumagsak ang bubungan namin, baba! baba!” When it’s friday night, our maids would go around the neighborhood reminding my parents’ friends that GABI NG LAGIM was about to start. Yung iba kasi nahihiya. Friday night was a “standing room only”. Other nights too. Mission Impossible, Hawaii 5-o, Streets of San Francisco. My mom had the women’s group during Aawitan Kita nights.
The day my father decided to buy that tv, “lumuwas siya ng Maynila” with his cash wrapped in newspaper. Nalimutan ko na kung magkano, tila P750. He walked into an appliances store somewhere in Cainta, Rizal. The manager was ignoring my father’s queries regarding the television. He probably did not believe that my father could afford it based on my father’s get-up. My father was wearing his usual attire. A short-sleeved cotton polo shirt, a pair of trousers, his hair neatly combed back with a pomade, and wearing his custom-made dark brown real-leather “Ang Tibay” pair of tsinelas. This was his standard smart casual, business and semi-formal attire.
When the manager was continuously showing disinterest and disrespect in attending to my father, my father took out his money, place the dyaryo on the manager’s counter and opened it. He said “magkano ba’yan?” He paid the whole amount and had the tv delivered to Binangonan. That’s the reason we ended up with this huge tv, my father bought the top of the line available in that store. Lesson: We always tell our sales people never to pre-judge a person that walked into our showroom just because he’s wearing sando or tsinelas.
I wonder where that big tv is now. Sayang, we should have kept it pala.
The very first time my Kuya Lito came home after his emigration to San Francisco, he bought us a QUADRO PHONIC stereo”. I was still in high school. We placed the whole system on top of our television. It became our entertainment center.
It was complete with speakers, microphones, tape recorder player, and dozens of long-playing albums— Elton John, Carpenters, The Doobie Brothers, Diana Ross, James Taylor, Beetles
There was a panciteria across the street from our house in Binangonan. It’s been there as far as I could remember. Nakagisnan ko na yun. Owned by Ka Giya and Ka Julia, their panciteria served the best pansit bihon and chopsuey guisado. Ka Giya was also a Chinese migrant like my father. But he probably came to the Philippines when he was already an adult because he couldn’t speak Tagalog, unlike my father who’s more fluent in Tagalog than in Chinese.
There’s a jukebox located at the entrance of their panciteria and the music could be heard from our house. Victor Wood and Pilita Coralles filled our mornings with their popular songs.
This reminded me of my mother. She knew how to sew dresses. We also had a Singer sewing machine at home and she taught me how to use it. She was very strict and for her it was a must that a woman should and must know the basics of sewing clothes. Another question…. I wonder where her sewing machine is now? Did she give it away? I will try to locate it.
My father had something similar to this, nag-o-over heat pa nga. At ang talas nung blades.
I am not at all interested to own nor use a vintage camera. Baka may mumu na lumabas sa mga pictures.
The knick-knacks occupied the back portion of the Midway Antiques mall.
$695 ka mahal naman baka mabasag lang ito ng mga maids, makunsumi lang ako. I have something similar but not this expensive. I bought mine for $100 only in an antiques shop in Rome some 15 years ago.
I like this ref but it’s not practical to use it.
Antique Oven
I almost bought a slot machine for our play room but I was worried that it could influence my son in a bad way. I also seriously considered putting one in our showroom but I also changed my mind. Lalagyan ko sana ng mga Kenkoy coins lang to entertain our guests while they wait for their vehicles. I was afraid it would bring so much fun to all of us and to our clients that we would start going to the casinos.
They gave us a free copy of Antique West. It’s an interesting read if you are into antiques.
Aileen found an original wall clock na super mura.
Bong had difficulty loading the things that we bought kasi ang bigat. I bought 10 pieces of dinner plates from Bavaria. Aileen bought some kutsi-kutsi-ku.
Traveling back to the Bay Area from Sacramento would bring you to the Vacaville Premium Outlets. We stopped for about an hour and did a combination of “just looking and sige na nga”.
Len and Bong at the Michael Kors store.
